{"data":{"id":"us/49-cfr-229.61","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"49 CFR 229.61","heading":"Draft system.","body":"(a) A coupler may not have any of the following conditions:\n(1) A distance between the guard arm and the knuckle nose of more than 5 5/16 inches on D\u0026E couplers.\n(2) A crack or break in the side wall or pin bearing bosses outside of the shaded areas shown in Figure 1 or in the pulling face of the knuckle.\n(3) A coupler assembly without anti-creep protection.\n(4) Free slack in the coupler or drawbar not absorbed by friction devices or draft gears that exceeds one-half inches.\n(5) A broken or cracked coupler carrier.\n(6) A broken or cracked yoke.\n(7) A broken draft gear.\n(b) A device shall be provided under the lower end of all drawbar pins and articulated connection pins to prevent the pin from falling out of place in case of breakage.","path":["Title 49—Transportation","Subtitle B—Other Regulations Relating to Transportation","CHAPTER II—FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION","PART 229—RAILROAD LOCOMOTIVE SAFETY STANDARDS","Subpart C—Safety Requirements"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-49.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:26:34Z","sha256":"991d7597c9f93b1cccc4824d7e57c536805c08ec6f840c574d19f23df4d7f4b2","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/49-cfr-229.59","next":"us/49-cfr-229.63"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}